Coin and key holder device



July 21, 1964 Filed March 14, 1962 United States. Patent 3,141,546 COIN AN D KEY HOLDER DEVICE Norbert Leopoldi, 4180 Marine Drive, Chicago, Ill. Filed Mar. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 179,645 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-.81)

My invention relates to a combination coin and key holder device, and more particularly, to a key carrying device that also provides a compartment for carrying coins, such as may be required for parking meters and the like.

A frustrating problem frequently encountered in todays urban centers has to do with the availability of automobile parking space. In many areas, one solution called for is the use of parking meters, which in effect permit one to park ones car for a period of time by inserting one or more coins into the meter, depending upon how much time is necessary.

It not infrequently happens that one desiring to park his car at a parking space regulated by a parking meter finds at the last minute that he does not have any coins that will lit the parking meter, which means that he must either risk being served with a police ticket for violating the parking laws, or he must move his car.

Since the modern automobile also universally requires a car key to operate ones car, it has occurred to me that a key holder arrangement that provided also a means for carrying the necessary parking meter coins would be a very useful thing to have.

It is therefore a principal object of my invention to provide a combination key and coin holder arrangement which will insure that the operator of an automobile will always have on hand the necessary parking meter coins when he needs them.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a combination coin key holder device that is economical of manufacture, convenient in use, and readily adapted to a wide variety of applications.

Other objects, uses and advantages will be obvious or become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the application drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a combination coin key holder in accordance with the principles of my invention, showing the holder device opened up as it would be to receive coins, or to remove coins therefrom;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the device of FIGURE 1, showing the device in closed position, with a key applied thereto illustrated in phantom;

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view substantially along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view sub stantially along line 4--4 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view substantially along line 55 of FIGURE 2.

However, it is to be understood that the specific drawing illustrations provided are supplied solely for the purposes of complying with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112, and that the invention may take other equivalent forms which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Reference numeral of FIGURE 1 generally indicates a preferred embodiment of the invention which comprises a body 12 formed to define a rounded recess 14 that is proportioned to receive the usual coins required for parking meters, such as pennies, nickels and dimes, though obviously, the recess could be proportioned to receive quarters, fifty cent pieces, etc. The body 12 is also formed to define in circumambient relation about the open end 16 of recess 14 a planar surface 18, the mouth of which opens at surface 18.

Hinged to one side of the body 12 is a cover member 20, and the cover member 20 is formed with a planar surface 22 that is adapted to be positioned adjacent to or engage against surface 18.

The cover member 20 is hingedly connected to body 12 by appropriate hinge elements 24.

A generally U-shaped key receiving member 26 is carried by the body 12 and has one leg 28 thereof swingably mounted in a bore 30 of the body, with the leg 28 and bore 30 being so disposed with respect to surface 18 that the leg at 28 swings or pivots about an axis that is substantially parallel to the surface 18.

The other leg 32 of the key receiving member 26 is adapted to be received in a locking recess 34 formed in the body 12, which recess preferably has its mouth 36 opening at said surface or face 18.

Preferably, the groove 34 is formed so that it defines oppositely opposed locking shoulders 38 past which leg 32 must be forced to apply it to the bottom of groove 34, for the purpose of locking the key receiving member in its closed position. It is contemplated that the key receiving member will swing between the two extreme positions indicated by the dashed line showing of FIGURE 4, and when the key receiving member is positioned in the downwardly extending position of FIGURE 4, the leg 32 will be disposed to receive keys, such as key 40 shown in phantom in FIGURE 2.

Preferably, the cover member 20 and the body 12 are provided with a suitable releasable locking arrangement for releasably securing these members against separation, and in the embodiment illustrated, this arrangement comprises a bulbous projection 42 that is positioned to frictionally engage within recess 44 formed in the body 12. Preferably, the projection or protuberance 42 has an enlarged end portion 46 that is somewhat greater in size than the width of the recess 44 so that there will be sub stantial frictional engagement between the projection 42 and the recess 44.

Preferably, the body 12 is formed with a fingernail receiving slot 50 to permit one to insert ones finger-nail or thumb-nail between the body 12 and its cover member, when they are in their closed relation of FIGURES 2, 3 and 5, to move these members to their open relation of FIGURES 1 and 4.

Preferably, the body 12 and its cover member 20 as well as hinging elements 24 are all formed from the same material by a suitable molding process. For this purpose I prefer the well-known plastic substance polypropylene, and in particular, the form thereof that is suitable for flexing, since this chemical compound provides hinging elements 24 that will withstand the flexing action required by this invention. The leg 28 of key receiving member 26 is mounted in position by having the material that forms body 12 injection molded about it, with the leg 28 being provided with a suitable film so that it may be readily freed from body 12 to perform its swinging function. Leg 28 thus will form its own bore 30, and leg 28 is preferably provided with an integrally united enlarged base member 60 to prevent withdrawal of the key retaining member 26 from the body 12.

In use, ones keys, including ones automobile keys or key, may be applied to the key receiving device 26 by swinging leg 32 out of groove 34 and slipping the keys over the freed end of leg 32, after which the leg 32 is pressed back into recess 34. A suitable number of appropriate coins, such as pennies, nickels or dimes, are applied to the recess 14, and then the cover member 20 is closed against surface 18 to press the protuberance 42 into recess 44.

This will retain the keys and coins within the holder device 10. The keys can be used when needed in the usual manner, and if it is desired to use one of the coins in recess 14, it is merely necessary to swing cover mem- Patented July 21, 1964 ber 20 away from surface 13 to expose the coins within recess 14. If it is desired to remove one or more keys from member 26, the leg 32 of such member is exposed for freeing its embedded end from body 12, by so opening cover member 20. And, of course, when the cover member 20 is pressed against the face 18 of body 12, the coins and keys are safely secured to device 10.

While the generally parallelepiped shape of the body 12 and cover member 20 is preferred, these members could be round if so desired. Also, the cover member 20 could be connected to body 12 by a single hinging element 24 which was formed to permit the cover member to swing or hinge in a plane parallel to the plane of surface 18, rather than swing toward and away from the surface 18, as specifically illustrated.

It will be observed that the face 62 of body 12 and the face 64 of cover member 20 provide a relatively wide expanse of area for application of appropriate advertising indicia. In accordance with the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the face 64 is formed with an undercut circular recess 66 proportioned to receive a printed disk 68 bearing appropriate advertising indicia, and a superposed glass or plastic protective disc-like member 70. The elements 63 and 70 may be applied to the recess 66 by suitably distorting the cover member 20.

It will therefore be seen that I have provided an exceedingly useful combination coin key holder that fully meets the objects of the invention.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate my invention and the invention is not to be limited thereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, since those skilled in the art who have my disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A combination coin and key holder comprising:

a flat planar body member defining a generally planar surface on one side of said body member,

said surface being parallel to the plane of said body member,

said body member being formed to define a cylindrical recess having its mouth terminating at said surface, said recess being proportioned to receive one or more and said surface being in circumambient relation about said mouth of said recess,

a cover member,

means for hinging said cover member to said body member to one side of said recess and adjacent one edge portion of said surface .to swing toward and away from said surface about an axis that extends parallel to the plane of said surface,

a substantially U-shaped key receiving element having one of its legs pivotally connected to said body member adjacent another edge portion of said surface to swing about an axis that extends parallel to the plane of said surface and parallel to the first mentioned axis,

said body member being further formed in said surface to define an elongate rectilinear groove in said surface extending parallel to said axes and proportioned to receive the other leg of said key receiving element,

said groove being positioned between said recess and the edge portion of said surface that is diametrically opposite said one edge portion across said recess,

said groove being formed to define snap lock means for releasably locking said key receiving element other leg in said groove,

said key receiving element defining intermediate said legs thereof a key receiving portion that projects away from said body member,

said cover member being proportioned to overlie said recess and said groove when said cover member is swung adjacent thereto,

and releasable lock means for releasably securing said cover member to said body member in the last mentioned position of said cover member,

said releasable lock means comprising a bulbous projection formed in one of said members and a recess formed in the other of said members positioned and proportioned to frictionally receive said bulbous projection,

said hinge means comprising flexible members, said members being of one piece construction.

2. The holder set forth in claim 1 wherein said members are formed from polypropylene.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,569,629 Everitt Oct. 2, 1951 2,631,631 Vogel Mar. 17, 1953 2,803,865 Elsanian Aug. 27, 1957 2,816,434 Olson Dec. 17, 1957 2,892,537 Schwartz June 20, 1959 3,037,616 Phipps June 5, 1962 

1. A COMBINATION COIN AND KEY HOLDER COMPRISING: A FLAT PLANAR BODY MEMBER DEFINING A GENERALLY PLANAR SURFACE ON ONE SIDE OF SAID BODY MEMBER, SAID SURFACE BEING PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID BODY MEMBER, SAID BODY MEMBER BEING FORMED TO DEFINE A CYLINDRICAL RECESS HAVING ITS MOUTH TERMINATING AT SAID SURFACE, SAID RECESS BEING PROPORTIONED TO RECEIVE ONE OR MORE COINS, AND SAID SURFACE BEING IN CIRCUMAMBIENT RELATION ABOUT SAID MOUTH OF SAID RECESS, A COVER MEMBER, MEANS FOR HINGING SAID COVER MEMBER TO SAID BODY MEMBER TO ONE SIDE OF SAID RECESS AND ADJACENT ONE EDGE PORTION OF SAID SURFACE TO SWING TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID SURFACE ABOUT AN AXIS THAT EXTENDS PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID SURFACE, A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED KEY RECEIVING ELEMENT HAVING ONE OF ITS LEGS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID BODY MEMBER ADJACENT ANOTHER EDGE PORTION OF SAID SURFACE TO SWING ABOUT AN AXIS THAT EXTENDS PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID SURFACE AND PARALLEL TO THE FIRST MENTIONED AXIS, SAID BODY MEMBER BEING FURTHER FORMED IN SAID SURFACE TO DEFINE AN ELONGATE RECTILINEAR GROOVE IN SAID SURFACE EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID AXES AND PROPORTIONED TO RECEIVE THE OTHER LEG OF SAID KEY RECEIVING ELEMENT, SAID GROOVE BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID RECESS AND THE EDGE PORTION OF SAID SURFACE THAT IS DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SAID ONE EDGE PORTION ACROSS SAID RECESS, SAID GROOVE BEING FORMED TO DEFINE SNAP LOCK MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID KEY RECEIVING ELEMENT OTHER LEG IN SAID GROOVE, SAID KEY RECEIVING ELEMENT DEFINING INTERMEDIATE SAID LEGS THEREOF A KEY RECEIVING PORTION THAT PROJECTS AWAY FROM SAID BODY MEMBER, SAID COVER MEMBER BEING PROPORTIONED TO OVERLIE SAID RECESS AND SAID GROOVE WHEN SAID COVER MEMBER IS SWUNG ADJACENT THERETO, AND RELEASABLE LOCK MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SECURING SAID COVER MEMBER TO SAID BODY MEMBER IN THE LAST MENTIONED POSITION OF SAID COVER MEMBER, SAID RELEASABLE LOCK MEANS COMPRISING A BULBOUS PROJECTION FORMED IN ONE OF SAID MEMBERS AND A RECESS FORMED IN THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS POSITIONED AND PROPORTIONED TO FRICTIONALLY RECEIVE SAID BULBOUS PROJECTION, SAID HINGE MEANS COMPRISING FLEXIBLE MEMBERS, SAID MEMBERS BEING OF ONE PIECE CONSTRUCTION. 